WISE Explores how Entrepreneurship Education can Address Youth Unemployment and Help Build Sustainable Future

BRUSSELS, June 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

WISE leads a panel debate at the European Development Days in Brussels

The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), a prime international platform for collaboration and creative action in education, led today a panel discussion "21st Century Skills: Why Entrepreneurship Matters" during the European Development Days (EDD) 2017 organised by the European Commission in Brussels.

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The WISE Debate showed how entrepreneurship education can empower learners with the skills necessary to navigate an age of unprecedented change, as well as the potential of the private sector to become more involved in building the next generation of entrepreneurs. The experts shared their experiences of entrepreneurship education, including ways it can help develop skills for socially-responsible citizenship, and support individuals in solving social challenges. The WISE speakers examined best practices from around the world that inspire and empower individuals to become skilful innovators. 

Commenting on the outcomes of this debate, the CEO of WISE, Stavros N. Yiannouka, said "We explored ways to encourage students and learners of all ages to think critically and develop unique solutions for their lives to chart their career paths. The discussions reflected a rich variety of perspectives, but all our speakers embraced the importance of cultivating entrepreneurial mindsets to build career agility. This flexibility is increasingly important in today's context of turbulence and change. "

The panellists joining the WISE roundtable brought a variety of complementing perspectives from various countries and sectors:

• Member of European Parliament Martina Dlabajová drew on her individual journey as an entrepreneur and her European policy making experience;
• Mike Feerick, CEO of Alison shared his experience as the founder of one of the world's largest MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) platform, providing basic learning ​and workplace skills training;
• Ashwin Assomul, Managing Director at Parthenon-EY looked at the role and contribution ​of the ​private sector to foster entrepreneurship education in both developed and emerging countries;
• Mervi Jansson- Aalto, Director Omnia Education Partnerships brought to the audience some examples of successful government and education strategies in terms of skills, training and employment

WISE will continue the conversations at the 2017 WISE Summit, 14 - 16 November in Doha, where more than 2,000 world leaders will gather under the theme of "Co-Exist, Co-Create: Learning to Live and Work Together".